Direct democracy is a political system where the citizens participate in the decision-making personally, contrary to relying on intermediaries or representatives. The use of a lot system, a characteristic of Athenian democracy, is unique to direct democracies.
As a general rule of thumb posts typically are 6-8 feet apart and are positioned on the corners, against the house and by the stairs of your deck. Mark the joists where the posts will go. Make sure they are even distance apart from one another. Next cut the posts to length.
Table 1 shows the appropriate beam size. For example, the distance between the house and the beam is 8 ft. Using (2)2x12's as your beam members allows a span of 7 ft. between posts, a convenient figure for a deck 14 ft. long. A beam can be built up from two small pieces either nailed together or placed a few inches apart on either side of a post.